101 Self-Care Activities

 

Self-care seems to be a hot topic. Moms like myself are constantly talking about how we don’t have enough time. And it’s true. We don’t. But I also think we don’t make ourselves enough of a priority.

When you, as a mom, are not taking care of yourself, and you don’t make yourself and your needs a priority, what happens?

I don’t know about you, but I get grumpy, short-tempered, and feel unhappy.

What about the opposite? When you make yourself and your self-care a priority, what happens?

I always feel more settled, rested, happy, and have the ability to be more calm and present with my family when I am taking care of myself.

Excuses get in the way of self-care

It seems that a lot of people (myself included) make excuses that there isn’t enough time for self-care. But, there is. There can be time for self-care, especially if you plan. Continue reading and you’ll see that the list below includes activities that don’t take much time or money so you’ll have to put your excuses aside. Yes, some self-care activities are more involved in terms of your time, planning, and cost, but those are not your only options for self-care. Make the choice to fit in the activities that are right for you.

Remember that what is considered one person’s self-care will not be another’s. For example, if you’re very social but don’t have much time, then your self-care might be planning a night out with your friends. If you crave alone time and rarely get it, then alone time is likely the self-care to prioritize.

Make sure your self-care meets your many types of needs

When it comes to self care activities, there are different needs that we can work to meet.

Physical self-care

Physical self-care might include activities like exercise or eating well.

Emotional self-care

Emotional self-care includes taking time for your emotions, or doing pleasurable activities.

Spiritual self-care

Spiritual self-care will be different depending on your spiritual beliefs but might include mediation, going to church, or praying.

Mental self-care

Mental self-care can be activities that are mentally stimulating such as playing a game, or ones that allow you to take care of your mental state such as journaling or practicing kindness to yourself.

Practical self-care

Practical self-care is typically about your life and what you need to do in a more logistical or practical sense, such as working on decluttering or tackling something on your to-do list. Yes, this can be self-care also.

Social self-care

Social self-care uses friends and others to help take care of yourself. This would be engaging in activities that include others or allow you to be social.

You can look at self-care and make sure that you take care of body, mind, and spirit. All of these parts of you likely need attention and care to help you feel complete. As you look at the list of self-care activities, some of the ideas might not be realistic because of where you live (for example, you might not be able to walk on the beach because you don’t live near one), but perhaps you can walk in the forest. Or, the activity might not be practical because of the time of year: you can’t always jump in puddles, or a hike may be unrealistic for you if it’s Winter and snowing.

When you look at this list, take note of the ones that you would like to incorporate in your life. I’d encourage you to take a look at this calendar that you can print out and fill in with your own activities, or use the ones that I’ve included for the month. This list of self-care activities will give you many ideas but will hopefully help to spark your own.

101 Self-care activities

1. Dance
2. Eat something healthy
3. Go for a bike ride
4. Try yoga or Pilates
5. Play a game
6. Draw (you don’t have to be good)
7. Wrap up in a blanket
8. Exercise
9. Sing
10. Call a friend
11. Drink tea (or your favorite warm drink)
12. Go swimming
13. Aromatherapy
14. Paint your nails
15. Breathe deeply
16. Create a morning or evening routine
17. Go to church
18. Jump in puddles
19. Eat a meal you enjoy
20. Sleep in
21. Walk on the beach
22. Plan your daily self-care for the month
23. Watch a movie
24. Call someone you care about and say “I love you”
25. Journal
26. Go for a hike
27. Bake
28. Delete items from your to-do list
29. Do a random act of kindness
30. Have a picnic
31. Take a walk
32. Look at the clouds
33. Go to bed early
34. Volunteer
35. Be alone
36. Take a shower and enjoy it
37. Attend a counseling session or support group
38. Call someone who makes you feel good
39. Go away for the night
40. Look at the stars
41. Read a blog on self-care activities
42. Try guided imagery (YouTube has great options)
43. Color
44. Go for a drive
45. Meditate
46. Girl’s Night Out
47. Make a doctor’s appointment
48. Cook a meal
49. Be kind to someone else
50. Declutter something
51. Light a candle
52. Read a magazine
53. Go out with friends
54. Smile (and hold it for 30 seconds)
55. Turn your phone off

    

56. Be crafty
57. Garden
58. Get some pampering done: a manicure or massage
59. Create a mission statement
60. Go to the park
61. Find an inspiring quote and repeat it daily
62. Indulge in a treat
63. Paint (try a painting class)
64. Look at old photos
65. Take a bath
66. Think positively
67. Listen to an audio book
68. Pet an animal
69. Laugh
70. Go out on a date
71. Write a letter
72. Visit a dog park and watch the dogs play
73. Listen to rain
74. Start a gratitude journal
75. Organize your day
76. Go to the zoo
77. Sit outside
78. Snuggle with someone
79. Listen to music
80. Stretch
81. Watch home movies
82. Take some photos of things that make you smile
83. Watch TV
84. Write down your negative thoughts and throw them away or burn them
85. Sit quietly at home
86. Watch baby animal videos
87. Write down 3 things you’re thankful for
88. Meet a friend for coffee
89. Watch a show on Netflix
90. Pray
91. Read a book
92. Stop what you’re doing and simply breathe
93. Sit and listen to the sounds of nature
94. Talk about your feelings with someone who will listen
95. Plant something
96. Have dinner with your friends
97. Stay off of social media for an hour (or more!)
98. Visit an animal shelter
99. Watch the sunset (or sunrise)
100. Wear something that makes you feel good
101. Visit the library: check the self-improvement books

With all of these activities, there is no room for excuses. You can find plenty of ideas and hopefully be inspired to come up with your own. Take the time to plan out how you can fit in self-care. I’d suggest doing one self-care activity daily. Remember that some of these can be done in as little as 30 seconds. The others that are more involved, like a night out will likely take planning to make happen. So, I’d suggest getting into a routine of planning out your self-care for at least one week at a time.

Check out the self-care calendar to help you get organized and prioritize your self-care.

My favorite self-care products

What would you add to the list?

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